Lawyer for Malaysia opposition leader charged with sedition

[JURIST] The lawyer representing Anwar Ibrahim [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], the leader of Malaysia's strongest governmental opposition group [party website, in Malay], was charged [Malaysia Star report, in English] with sedition on Tuesday because of a written statement he issued acting as Anwar's legal counsel. N Suredran, was released on bail after being charged with violating Malaysia's Sedition Act [text, pdf]. Suredran, currently representing Anwar in his appeal against sodomy charges, submitted a written statement suggesting that the sodomy charges against Anwar are an attempt to undermine Anwar's political coalition, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which prevented the current ruling party [official website, in English] from obtaining a two-thirds parliamentary majority in last year's elections. Malaysia's current prime minister, Najib Razak [JURIST news archive], denies any conspiracy to weaken Anwar's party and claims he plans to abolish the Sedition Act, which prohibits "bring[ing] into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government."

Suredran's and Anwar's current legal drama heightened in March when a Malaysian court overturned [JURIST report] Anwar's acquittal of sodomy charges and sentenced him to five years in prison. Surendran's resulting sedition charge is based on a 1948 law that Prime Minister Najib Razak announced [JURIST report] in 2012 he would repeal to protect freedom of speech in the country, a proclamation the UN responded [JURIST report] to with praise. Anwar was acquitted [JURIST report] in January 2010 of charges that he sodomized a former male political aide, charges he had consistently argued were politically motivated. Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia and was found [JURIST This Day at Law] to be compatible with Malaysia's constitution in January 2010.

About Paper Chase

Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible format.